Watching the whole ordeal, Smith and Geoffrey now exchanged suspicious looks. The emperor turned to the Lesaew brothers and beamed:
“How splendid! How wonderfully splendid!”
The emperor clapped his hands in delight.
“Geoffrey! Smith! See to it that our revered guests are given only the finest amenities. Also, pay them handsomely,” the emperor demanded.
Geoffrey and Smith led the Lesaew brothers to the largest sewing room in the empire. The room was filled with piles upon piles of the finest uncut fur; several velvet sacks were stuffed full of the rarest ruby, black opal, diamond, musgravite, and blue garnet gems – to name a few; large bags of gold were left by Geoffrey and Smith, courtesy of the emperor; and in the centre of the room stood a naked mannequin.
The Lesaew brothers looked around the room with gleaming, greedy eyes. They glanced at each other, smiled strangely, and burst into a fit of laughter.
“Sure fooled him,” the first Lesaew brother said merrily.
“We will have the entire empire fooled,” replied the second.
Geoffrey and Smith led the Lesaew brothers to the largest sewing room in the empire. The room was filled with piles upon piles of the finest uncut fur; several velvet sacks were stuffed full of the rarest ruby, black opal, diamond, musgravite, and blue garnet gems – to name a few; large bags of gold were left by Geoffrey and Smith, courtesy of the emperor; and in the centre of the room stood a naked mannequin.